This arrived today and I've given it a few spins.
There are some gorgeous and fresh sounding analog textures on this album, even if they'd sit comfortably with the kinds of sounds Steve has been emitting from many other releases. Still, these are luscious and beautifully subtle soundworlds, and space and silence are utilised to great effect in the music. I also prefer the darker EQing of Steve's newer stuff, but I can understand if people miss the brightness of old!
As much as one part of me enjoys the minimalism and focus of these pieces and other newer Steve Roach releases (like 'Spiral Meditations'), I do miss the days where individual tracks would have more distinct developments and contrasting sections within them. I remember often loving the majestic gear shifts throughout some tracks on The Magnificent Void, Mystic Chords and Sacred Spaces, that album The Dream Circle, the Vir Unis and Vidna Obmana collaborations, and many others. But this isn't specific to Steve's output; I've noticed that a number of ambient artists I like tend to focus on one main 'idea' per track these days, whereas their past works often had more surprises and definite shifts within individual tracks.
